• Go the Azzurri!

    From John Hall@john@jhall.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Thu Feb 12 16:19:45 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely
    hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat Scotland
    (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches if they are to progress. Even
    if they do, their performance against the West Indies doesn't give one
    any confidence that they can go any further than the last eight.
    --
    John Hall

    You can divide people into two categories:
    those who divide people into two categories and those who don't

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Thu Feb 12 11:55:28 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely
    hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat Scotland
    (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches if they are to progress. Even
    if they do, their performance against the West Indies doesn't give one
    any confidence that they can go any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time.











    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Sat Feb 14 23:50:12 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely
    hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat Scotland
    (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been assuming. England
    probably need to win both of those matches if they are to progress.
    Even if they do, their performance against the West Indies doesn't
    give one any confidence that they can go any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's better
    to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.



    Harry Brook wants England to peak at right time in T20 World Cup https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/finish-amazing-england-t20-world-cup-2026-harry-brook-10532511/


    Brook insisted that England's stuttering start was not necessarily cause
    for alarm, emphasizing the importance of timing in major tournaments.

    England captain Harry Brook said he would rather his team start slowly
    and peak at the right time than begin strongly and fade in the latter
    stages of the T20 World Cup, defending his siderCOs inconsistent
    performances in the tournament so far.


    Written by: Sayak Dutta
    3 min readKolkataUpdated: Feb 14, 2026 08:28 PM IST
    Harry Brook's England have struggled for consistency through three
    matches, raising questions about their form heading into the business
    end of the competition. (AP Photo)Harry Brook's England have struggled
    for consistency through three matches, raising questions about their
    form heading into the business end of the competition. (AP Photo)
    Make us preferred source on Google

    England captain Harry Brook said he would rather his team start slowly
    and peak at the right time than begin strongly and fade in the latter
    stages of the T20 World Cup, defending his siderCOs inconsistent
    performances in the tournament so far.

    The English, considered a strong T20 team, have struggled for
    consistency through three matches, raising questions about their form
    heading into the business end of the competition.

    They scraped past Nepal by four runs after a late scare in their opening match, then suffered a comprehensive 30-run loss to West Indies. On
    Saturday against Scotland, they stumbled to 13-2 while chasing 152 after losing explosive openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler early, before Tom BantonrCOs 63 rescued a victory and restored some pride.


    rCLThe run chases havenrCOt been as straightforward for us as we would have liked,rCY Brook told reporters after the Scotland match. rCLWe obviously
    lost to West Indies. They probably got 15-20 runs too many and tonight,
    we kept losing wickets.rCY

    Brook insisted that EnglandrCOs stuttering start was not necessarily cause
    for alarm, emphasizing the importance of timing in major tournaments.
    rCLYou donrCOt want to start off on a high,rCY he said. rCLIn world competitions, you want to kind of build it up and hopefully we can start
    that trend from the confidence from tonight and into the Italy match.rCY



    The struggles of EnglandrCOs opening pair have been particularly
    concerning. Salt has managed just 33 runs from three matches while
    former captain Buttler has mustered only 50 from the same number of
    games, well below the standards expected of two of the most destructive white-ball batsmen in world cricket.

    However, Brook stood firmly by his openers, rejecting suggestions they
    had been overly tentative.

    rCLWe got off to an absolute flier against the West Indies. I think we
    were at 40 off two overs nearly, so I slightly disagree with that,rCY he
    said. rCLSalty got off to a flier against them and Jos always gives
    himself a few balls.rCY

    Brook attributed SaturdayrCOs early wickets partly to conditions, noting
    the lack of pace in the pitch made it difficult for the openers to play
    their natural games. rCLProbably tonight, it was the lack of pace, and it wasnrCOt as easy to slide it off and hit it through point or behind
    square,rCY he explained.

    rCLBut unfortunately, they havenrCOt quite fired yet but I am not looking
    at it as a bad thing. ThererCOs a long way to go in this tournament.rCY

    Summing up his philosophy, Brook added: rCLWerCOd rather not start amazing
    and finish amazing than start amazing and finish bad.rCY






    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From alvey@Factman@gmail.com to uk.sport.cricket on Sun Feb 15 22:20:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    John Hall wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely
    hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat
    Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been
    assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches if they
    are to progress. Even if they do, their performance against the West
    Indies doesn't give one any confidence that they can go any further
    than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's
    better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.


    <snip what Harry Brook said>
    True enough. I think it's the result of many decades following England
    that has led me to have perhaps an over-pessimistic outlook. At least
    that means it comes as something of a pleasant surprise when they fail
    to screw things up.

    The Scotland game was another very nervy watch, but England came throgh
    it the end. At least England are doing better than Australia, who
    managed to lose to Zimbabwe. Though to be fair, I should mention that
    due to injuries they had not even a second-string but more like a third-string pace attack.

    It might be even lower than that. The number of quicks that are out atm
    is extraordinary.

    But whatever... Due to circumstances I've been watching a fair bit of
    the T20 WC and have noted two things. One, not only are the ropes in a
    long way, but the outfields are distressingly fast. Pity the poor
    bowlers. The other thing is the stunningly excellent standard of
    fielding. The lumbering Bill Bowes-genre fast bowler is extinct, even
    the Associates are better fielders than Test sides of the 50's-70s. The catching has been astonishly good, if someone gets to it, then 99% of
    the time it's being caught.
    --
    This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David North@nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Mon Feb 16 07:17:50 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely
    hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat Scotland
    (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been assuming.
    England probably need to win both of those matches if they are to
    progress. Even if they do, their performance against the West Indies
    doesn't give one any confidence that they can go any further than the
    last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's better
    to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)
    --
    David North
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Sun Feb 15 23:29:02 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely
    hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat
    Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been
    assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches if they
    are to progress. Even if they do, their performance against the West
    Indies doesn't give one any confidence that they can go any further
    than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's
    better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up with
    India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World Cup to
    Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other preliminaries and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.



    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Mon Feb 16 06:18:29 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/15/2026 1:50 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely
    hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat
    Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been
    assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches if they
    are to progress. Even if they do, their performance against the West
    Indies doesn't give one any confidence that they can go any further
    than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's
    better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.


    <snip what Harry Brook said>
    True enough. I think it's the result of many decades following England
    that has led me to have perhaps an over-pessimistic outlook. At least
    that means it comes as something of a pleasant surprise when they fail
    to screw things up.

    The Scotland game was another very nervy watch, but England came throgh
    it the end. At least England are doing better than Australia, who
    managed to lose to Zimbabwe. Though to be fair, I should mention that
    due to injuries they had not even a second-string but more like a third- string pace attack.



    Aus lost to Zimbabwe primarily because their top 4 batters and Stoinis
    failed rather than their bowlers being third string attack.




    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Hall@john@jhall.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Mon Feb 16 18:19:52 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but absolutely >>>>> hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to beat
    Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been
    assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches if
    they are to progress. Even if they do, their performance against
    the West Indies doesn't give one any confidence that they can go
    any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's
    better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up with
    India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World Cup to
    Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other preliminaries and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true that
    the side they've been able to put out has been well short of great.
    After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was astonishing not
    just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively. Their NRR is far
    inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify Zimbabwe would have to
    be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their final match.

    Meanwhile against Italy England seemed nervy once again, and a couple of
    times looked in real danger of being beaten. At least two out of Salt,
    Buttler and Brook need to find some form if England are to get through
    the next stage.

    That was the second time in four matches that Jacks has won the player
    of the match award, though at one point he looked in danger of undoing
    with the ball all his good work with the bat. If Salt and Buttler
    continue to struggle, there might be a case for moving Jacks back to
    opening the batting.
    --
    John Hall

    You can divide people into two categories:
    those who divide people into two categories and those who don't
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Hall@john@jhall.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Mon Feb 16 19:10:30 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 16/02/2026 18:19, John Hall wrote:
    <snip>
    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true that
    the side they've been able to put out has been well short of great.
    After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was astonishing not
    just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively. Their NRR is far
    inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify Zimbabwe would have to
    be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their final match.

    I don't know why, but I had been thinking that this was Australia's
    final match and that Zimbabwe only had the Ireland match left, whereas Australia actually have one match remaining and Zimbabwe two. So it's
    not quite as cut and dried as I had been thinking.
    --
    John Hall

    You can divide people into two categories:
    those who divide people into two categories and those who don't
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Mon Feb 16 21:52:07 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but
    absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy to >>>>>> beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had been >>>>>> assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches if
    they are to progress. Even if they do, their performance against
    the West Indies doesn't give one any confidence that they can go
    any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they? >>>>>
    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time. >>>>>







    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's
    better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up with
    India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World Cup to
    Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other preliminaries and
    semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true that
    the side they've been able to put out has been well short of great.
    After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was astonishing not
    just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively. Their NRR is far
    inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify Zimbabwe would have to
    be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of
    Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of the
    T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and Australia will get
    to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.


    So if Zimbabwe loses to Ireland today, Australia will still have a
    chance to make the Super 8s by beating Oman and over hauling Zimbabwe's
    net run rate.






    Meanwhile against Italy England seemed nervy once again, and a couple of times looked in real danger of being beaten. At least two out of Salt, Buttler and Brook need to find some form if England are to get through
    the next stage.


    Yeah, England looked nervy both against Nepal and Italy.

    But they will make the Super 8 and still have time to iron out the
    chinks and batters getting back to form.




    That was the second time in four matches that Jacks has won the player
    of the match award, though at one point he looked in danger of undoing
    with the ball all his good work with the bat. If Salt and Buttler
    continue to struggle, there might be a case for moving Jacks back to
    opening the batting.

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David North@nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Tue Feb 17 06:36:33 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 16/02/2026 19:10, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 18:19, John Hall wrote:
    <snip>
    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true that
    the side they've been able to put out has been well short of great.
    After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was astonishing not
    just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively. Their NRR is far
    inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify Zimbabwe would have
    to be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their final match.

    I don't know why, but I had been thinking that this was Australia's
    final match and that Zimbabwe only had the Ireland match left, whereas Australia actually have one match remaining and Zimbabwe two. So it's
    not quite as cut and dried as I had been thinking.

    It will be if Zimbabwe beat Ireland today. If they lose, and lose again
    to SL on Thursday, that would open the door to Australia, who would be
    able to work out exactly what margin they needed to beaten Oman by.
    --
    David North
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David North@nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Tue Feb 17 06:48:10 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    Meanwhile against Italy England seemed nervy once again, and a couple
    of times looked in real danger of being beaten. At least two out of
    Salt, Buttler and Brook need to find some form if England are to get
    through the next stage.


    Yeah, England looked nervy both against Nepal and Italy.

    But they will make the Super 8 and still have time to iron out the
    chinks

    Bernard Woolley would probably point out that you can't iron out chinks. Wrinkles, maybe.
    --
    David North
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David North@nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Tue Feb 17 08:11:02 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but
    absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy >>>>>>> to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had >>>>>>> been assuming. England probably need to win both of those matches >>>>>>> if they are to progress. Even if they do, their performance
    against the West Indies doesn't give one any confidence that they >>>>>>> can go any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they? >>>>>>
    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time. >>>>>>







    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's
    better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up with
    India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World Cup to
    Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other preliminaries and
    semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true that
    the side they've been able to put out has been well short of great.
    After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was astonishing not
    just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively. Their NRR is far
    inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify Zimbabwe would have
    to be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of
    Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of the
    T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and Australia will get
    to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.
    --
    David North
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Tue Feb 17 00:29:43 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/16/2026 10:48 PM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    Meanwhile against Italy England seemed nervy once again, and a couple
    of times looked in real danger of being beaten. At least two out of
    Salt, Buttler and Brook need to find some form if England are to get
    through the next stage.


    Yeah, England looked nervy both against Nepal and Italy.

    But they will make the Super 8 and still have time to iron out the chinks

    Bernard Woolley would probably point out that you can't iron out chinks. Wrinkles, maybe.




    You are right. I made a mistake.

    But you should never hold non-engish native language speakers to the
    same standards of native english speakers though.


    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Tue Feb 17 00:36:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/17/2026 12:11 AM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but
    absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy >>>>>>>> to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I had >>>>>>>> been assuming. England probably need to win both of those
    matches if they are to progress. Even if they do, their
    performance against the West Indies doesn't give one any
    confidence that they can go any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't they? >>>>>>>
    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right time. >>>>>>>







    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's >>>>>> better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up with
    India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World Cup to
    Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other preliminaries and
    semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true
    that the side they've been able to put out has been well short of
    great. After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was
    astonishing not just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively.
    Their NRR is far inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify
    Zimbabwe would have to be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their
    final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of
    Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of the
    T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and Australia will
    get to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.




    Nope. He won't.

    No way will Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in current red hot form after
    beating australia convincingly.



    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From alvey@Hans.Andnees@gmail.com to uk.sport.cricket on Wed Feb 18 11:29:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    Meanwhile against Italy England seemed nervy once again, and a couple
    of times looked in real danger of being beaten. At least two out of
    Salt, Buttler and Brook need to find some form if England are to get
    through the next stage.


    Yeah, England looked nervy both against Nepal and Italy.

    But they will make the Super 8 and still have time to iron out the chinks

    Bernard Woolley would probably point out that you can't iron out chinks. Wrinkles, maybe.

    And A. Woke could point out that "chinks" is now a No-Go word.


    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David North@nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Wed Feb 18 06:09:28 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 17/02/2026 08:36, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/17/2026 12:11 AM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but
    absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy >>>>>>>>> to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I >>>>>>>>> had been assuming. England probably need to win both of those >>>>>>>>> matches if they are to progress. Even if they do, their
    performance against the West Indies doesn't give one any
    confidence that they can go any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't >>>>>>>> they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right >>>>>>>> time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's >>>>>>> better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up
    with India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World Cup >>>>> to Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other preliminaries
    and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true
    that the side they've been able to put out has been well short of
    great. After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was
    astonishing not just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively.
    Their NRR is far inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify
    Zimbabwe would have to be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their
    final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of
    Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of the
    T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and Australia will
    get to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.




    Nope. He won't.

    No way will Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in current red hot form after
    beating australia convincingly.

    I was alluding to the fact that he was, famously, a chicken farmer, and
    would know when to count his chickens.

    Yes, SL are clearly strong favourites (currently 3/10 on bet365, with
    Zimbabwe 5/2), but it's a T20 match. In such short matches, upsets
    happen relatively frequently. If the result was that certain, bookies
    wouldn't be offering odds that any punter would be likely to accept. The
    other 6 remaining group matches all involve Associates, with the
    favourites' odds ranging from Afghanistan 1/9 v Canada to Australia
    1/100 v Oman.

    Is SL's form really that hot just because of one match? They thrashed
    Oman, but that's no big deal. Before that, they only beat Ireland by 20
    runs at the same ground where they will be playing Zimbabwe. They also
    lost twice to Zimbabwe in 5 matches in the last 6 months - by 67 runs
    less than 3 months ago, and by 5 wickets with 34 balls remaining in
    September. In both cases, Zimbabwe bowled them out for under 100. There
    is also the factor that SL don't need to win, so might not be trying as
    hard as they would normally. Zimbabwe don't need to win now either,
    after yesterday's washout, but they would have needed to if they had
    lost to Ireland.
    --
    David North
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Hall@john@jhall.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Thu Feb 19 16:16:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 17/02/2026 08:36, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/17/2026 12:11 AM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but
    absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so easy >>>>>>>>> to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy as I >>>>>>>>> had been assuming. England probably need to win both of those >>>>>>>>> matches if they are to progress. Even if they do, their
    performance against the West Indies doesn't give one any
    confidence that they can go any further than the last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around.

    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't >>>>>>>> they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right >>>>>>>> time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that it's >>>>>>> better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up
    with India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World Cup >>>>> to Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other preliminaries
    and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true
    that the side they've been able to put out has been well short of
    great. After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was
    astonishing not just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively.
    Their NRR is far inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify
    Zimbabwe would have to be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in their
    final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of
    Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of the
    T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and Australia will
    get to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.




    Nope. He won't.

    No way will Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in current red hot form after
    beating australia convincingly.




    You were saying? :)

    I wonder what odds you could have got before the WC started on Zimbabwe topping their group. 100-1 maybe? They were helped a little by their
    match against Ireland being rained off, but on their current form they
    would probably have won that game too.
    --
    John Hall

    You can divide people into two categories:
    those who divide people into two categories and those who don't
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Thu Feb 19 21:57:41 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/19/2026 8:16 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 08:36, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/17/2026 12:11 AM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but
    absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so >>>>>>>>>> easy to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy >>>>>>>>>> as I had been assuming. England probably need to win both of >>>>>>>>>> those matches if they are to progress. Even if they do, their >>>>>>>>>> performance against the West Indies doesn't give one any
    confidence that they can go any further than the last eight. >>>>>>>>>


    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around. >>>>>>>>>
    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't >>>>>>>>> they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right >>>>>>>>> time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that
    it's better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up
    with India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World
    Cup to Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other
    preliminaries and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true
    that the side they've been able to put out has been well short of
    great. After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was
    astonishing not just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively.
    Their NRR is far inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify
    Zimbabwe would have to be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in
    their final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of
    Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of
    the T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and Australia
    will get to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.




    Nope. He won't.

    No way will Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in current red hot form after
    beating australia convincingly.




    You were saying? :)

    I wonder what odds you could have got before the WC started on Zimbabwe topping their group. 100-1 maybe? They were helped a little by their
    match against Ireland being rained off, but on their current form they
    would probably have won that game too.




    Yeah, I didn't expect Sri Lanka to lose AT HOME after beating australia
    so convincingly.


    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David North@nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Fri Feb 20 07:22:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 20/02/2026 05:57, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/19/2026 8:16 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 08:36, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/17/2026 12:11 AM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but >>>>>>>>>>> absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so >>>>>>>>>>> easy to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy >>>>>>>>>>> as I had been assuming. England probably need to win both of >>>>>>>>>>> those matches if they are to progress. Even if they do, their >>>>>>>>>>> performance against the West Indies doesn't give one any >>>>>>>>>>> confidence that they can go any further than the last eight. >>>>>>>>>>


    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around. >>>>>>>>>>
    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, didn't >>>>>>>>>> they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the right >>>>>>>>>> time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that >>>>>>>>> it's better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up >>>>>>> with India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World >>>>>>> Cup to Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other
    preliminaries and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true >>>>>> that the side they've been able to put out has been well short of >>>>>> great. After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was
    astonishing not just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively. >>>>>> Their NRR is far inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to qualify >>>>>> Zimbabwe would have to be absolutely slaughtered by Ireland in
    their final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of
    Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of
    the T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and Australia >>>>> will get to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.




    Nope. He won't.

    No way will Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in current red hot form after
    beating australia convincingly.




    You were saying? :)

    I wonder what odds you could have got before the WC started on
    Zimbabwe topping their group. 100-1 maybe? They were helped a little
    by their match against Ireland being rained off, but on their current
    form they would probably have won that game too.




    Yeah, I didn't expect Sri Lanka to lose AT HOME after beating australia
    so convincingly.

    Neither did I, but I thought Zimbabwe had a significant chance.
    --
    David North
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com to uk.sport.cricket on Fri Feb 20 23:15:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 2/19/2026 11:22 PM, David North wrote:
    On 20/02/2026 05:57, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/19/2026 8:16 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 08:36, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/17/2026 12:11 AM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but >>>>>>>>>>>> absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so >>>>>>>>>>>> easy to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and Italy >>>>>>>>>>>> as I had been assuming. England probably need to win both of >>>>>>>>>>>> those matches if they are to progress. Even if they do, >>>>>>>>>>>> their performance against the West Indies doesn't give one >>>>>>>>>>>> any confidence that they can go any further than the last >>>>>>>>>>>> eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around. >>>>>>>>>>>
    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, >>>>>>>>>>> didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the >>>>>>>>>>> right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that >>>>>>>>>> it's better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up >>>>>>>> with India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World >>>>>>>> Cup to Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other
    preliminaries and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's true >>>>>>> that the side they've been able to put out has been well short of >>>>>>> great. After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, it was
    astonishing not just to lose but to be beaten so comprehensively. >>>>>>> Their NRR is far inferior to Zimbabwe, so for Australia to
    qualify Zimbabwe would have to be absolutely slaughtered by
    Ireland in their final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of >>>>>> Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of >>>>>> the T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and
    Australia will get to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.




    Nope. He won't.

    No way will Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in current red hot form after
    beating australia convincingly.




    You were saying? :)

    I wonder what odds you could have got before the WC started on
    Zimbabwe topping their group. 100-1 maybe? They were helped a little
    by their match against Ireland being rained off, but on their current
    form they would probably have won that game too.




    Yeah, I didn't expect Sri Lanka to lose AT HOME after beating
    australia so convincingly.

    Neither did I, but I thought Zimbabwe had a significant chance.




    To a certain extent, Sri lanka losing to Zimbabwe can be attributed to
    their main pace bowlers Matheesha getting injured and Dushmantha
    Chameera not in the team vs Zimbabwe for whatever reason.


    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David North@nospam@lane-farm.fsnet.co.uk to uk.sport.cricket on Sat Feb 21 11:10:40 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.sport.cricket

    On 21/02/2026 07:15, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/19/2026 11:22 PM, David North wrote:
    On 20/02/2026 05:57, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/19/2026 8:16 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 08:36, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/17/2026 12:11 AM, David North wrote:
    On 17/02/2026 05:52, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/16/2026 10:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 07:29, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/15/2026 11:17 PM, David North wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 07:50, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote:
    On 2/12/2026 11:55 AM, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer wrote: >>>>>>>>>>>> On 2/12/2026 8:19 AM, John Hall wrote:
    It was a big surprise that Italy not only beat Nepal but >>>>>>>>>>>>> absolutely hammered them. Perhaps England won't find it so >>>>>>>>>>>>> easy to beat Scotland (who beat Italy comfortably) and >>>>>>>>>>>>> Italy as I had been assuming. England probably need to win >>>>>>>>>>>>> both of those matches if they are to progress. Even if they >>>>>>>>>>>>> do, their performance against the West Indies doesn't give >>>>>>>>>>>>> one any confidence that they can go any further than the >>>>>>>>>>>>> last eight.



    Naah....

    All it takes is ONE good game for England to turn it around. >>>>>>>>>>>>
    They beat NZ and SA convincingly just recently in T20s, >>>>>>>>>>>> didn't they?

    Its actually better to gradually improve and peak at the >>>>>>>>>>>> right time.








    Harry Brook said today what I said a couple of days ago that >>>>>>>>>>> it's better to PEAK at the RIGHT TIME.

    So, have India peaked too early? ;)




    I hope it doesn't but I am afraid law of averages will catch up >>>>>>>>> with India soon just like it did when India LOST 2023 ODI World >>>>>>>>> Cup to Australia after comfortably winning ALL the other
    preliminaries and semi finals.


    In T20 games, any great team can have ONE BAD DAY.




    Australia have now had not one but two bad days, though it's
    true that the side they've been able to put out has been well >>>>>>>> short of great. After the start that Head and Marsh gave them, >>>>>>>> it was astonishing not just to lose but to be beaten so
    comprehensively. Their NRR is far inferior to Zimbabwe, so for >>>>>>>> Australia to qualify Zimbabwe would have to be absolutely
    slaughtered by Ireland in their final match.




    Sri Lanka comprehensively outplayed Australia, it's NOT a case of >>>>>>> Australia having a bad day.

    IF Zimbabwe beats Ireland today, australia will be knocked out of >>>>>>> the T20 world cup because Zimbabwe will have 6 points and
    Australia will get to maximum 4 after beating Oman.

    Obviously Zimbabwe will LOSE to Sri Lanka.

    Eddo Brandes would take issue with that statement.




    Nope. He won't.

    No way will Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in current red hot form after
    beating australia convincingly.




    You were saying? :)

    I wonder what odds you could have got before the WC started on
    Zimbabwe topping their group. 100-1 maybe? They were helped a little
    by their match against Ireland being rained off, but on their
    current form they would probably have won that game too.




    Yeah, I didn't expect Sri Lanka to lose AT HOME after beating
    australia so convincingly.

    Neither did I, but I thought Zimbabwe had a significant chance.




    To a certain extent, Sri lanka losing to Zimbabwe can be attributed to
    their main pace bowlers Matheesha getting injured and Dushmantha
    Chameera not in the team vs Zimbabwe for whatever reason.

    According to CI, he was rested "in order to organise this virtual
    bowl-off between Madushan and Madushanka". That's the sort of thing that
    teams are much more likely to do when they have already qualified.

    https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/t20-world-cup-2026-sri-lanka-bat-against-zimbabwe-play-madushanka-and-madushan-1525054
    --
    David North
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2